ENUGU, Nigeria (VOICE OF NAIJA)- The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has intensified efforts to reclaim the seats of Rivers State lawmakers who have again announced their defection from the party, saying it will now activate constitutional processes to retrieve mandates the legislators have “abandoned.”
The party described the lawmakers’ repeated defections as a calculated assault on the legislature and a clear breach of the 1999 Constitution.
In a statement issued by its National Publicity Secretary, Ini Ememobong, the PDP recalled that the affected lawmakers had earlier defected, later reversed their decision, and have now re-declared their exit, a sequence the party said was politically scripted to destabilise the state.
“The members of the Rivers State House of Assembly have by their actions since they assumed office shown that they are political puppets and a clog in the wheels of democratic progress,” Ememobong said.
“They will go down in history as enemies of democracy and those who made mockery of the legislature.”
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The PDP argued that the lawmakers’ latest announcement amounted to movement from one faction of the APC to another, rather than a genuine break from the PDP, insisting the affected legislators had long abandoned the party’s ideals even while occupying offices won on its platform.
“So the easiest way to describe their action is a defection from APC to APC,” the statement added.
Ememobong said the party would now pursue legal action to enforce constitutional provisions that sanction lawmakers who dump the party that sponsored their election.
“Consequently, the PDP will take legal steps to activate the provision of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (1999 as amended) to recover the mandate gained under the banner of our party, which these people have now ignobly and surreptitiously switched to another platform,” he stated.
Appealing for calm, the PDP urged its members in Rivers State to remain steadfast despite the political tensions rocking the state.
“We urge all party members in Rivers State to remain faithful and resolute, as efforts are underway to rebuild the party along the path of inclusiveness, fairness and equity,” Ememobong added.
The party noted that the unfolding political drama would not derail its broader internal reforms or its preparations ahead of future elections.